CII Communique - February, 2010

eport
South Asia
Bangladesh
A group of CII CEOs had
an exclusive interaction with
Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister
of Bangladesh, during her State
Visit to India on 12 January
in New Delhi. Sheikh Hasina
invited Indian companies to
invest in Bangladesh, and
assured them of all possible
assistance and cooperation. Mr
Shekhar Datta, Past President,
CII led the CII team.
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh stressed on the imperative
to promote trade between the two countries, saying that “We
have to remove avoidable hindrances, initiate long-pending
trade facilitation measures, ease movement of businessmen
and professionals and put in place settlement mechanisms
to avoid snags, which may arise due to differences on
specific trade related matters.”
She said that the two countries have agreed to open
border ‘haats’ for people living in the remote areas on
either side of the border. A decision had also been
taken, at India’s request, to open new trade routes
through Tegamukh – Demagiri and Sabroom – Ramgarh
border points. As for connectivity, several possibilities
are being examined taking into account their bilateral
and regional dimensions.
She also said that Bangladesh has officially agreed
to be part of the Asian Highway Network, and is also
discussing rail and road links with eastern India.
Sheikh Hasina said greater people-to-people contacts,
particularly between businessmen, were important for
expansion of trade and commerce, as well as to widen
and deepen overall Bangladesh-India ties, and would
supplement government-to-government contacts.
Mr. Anand Sharma, Union Minister for Commerce and
Industry, India, said the enormous potential for deepening
economic cooperation between the two countries should
come through cross border investments and trade.
India, he said, would like to see Bangladesh and the
entire South Asian region grow together. While urging
Bangladeshi businessmen to look at cooperation with India
for infrastructure upgradation, Mr. Sharma said that India
would improve the land custom stations and checkposts.
Mr Shekhar Datta, conceding that there were hurdles on
both sides – issues of visa, infrastructure, connectivity, tariff
Shekhar Datta, Past President, CII, Anand Sharma,
0Minister of Commerce and Industry, India, and Sheikh Hasina,
Prime Minister of Bangladesh
and non-tariff barriers, said that
in an interdependent world,
there was no barrier that could
not be dismantled provided
there was strong political
will to do so. He highlighted
Entrepreneurship, Skills
Development and Affirmative
Action as areas of cooperation,
and said CII would be happy
to share experiences with its
counterparts in Bangladesh.
Coinciding with the official visit of the Prime Minister
of Bangladesh to India, CII organised a meeting
of Indian business leaders with the accompanying
business delegation from Bangladesh on 12 January.
On this occasion, CII and the India – Bangladesh
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) signed
an agreement to enhance their work in promoting
trade and investments.
Under the national campaign of ‘Digital Bangladesh,’
Bharti Enterprises and Warid Telecom inked their resolve
for collaboration in the telecommunications segment as
part of their $300 million deal, likely to be stepped up to
$1 billion in the near future. Meru Cabs and Tata Motors
also presented their intent to invest in Bangladesh with
10,000 – 20,000 radio controlled taxis.
The Bangladesh delegation voiced concerns relating to
visa and para tariff issues. Various suggestions to reduce
the trade gap included increasing the quota of dutyfree
textile and garments, removing non tariff barriers,
upgrading warehousing facilities in border areas and
land ports, and pursuing collaborative work with India
as a high tech partner for Bangladesh. The Indian side
expressed interest in exploring more import opportunities
and promoting investments in Bangladesh.
Mr Kazi Akramuddin Ahmed, Leader of the Bangladesh
Business Delegation, and Chairman, Standard Bank
Ltd invited Indian investments in energy, infrastructure,
telecom, IT and transportation. Mr Shekhar Datta, Past
President, CII listed numerous suggestions for advancing
bilateral economic engagement, such as promoting a
Free Trade Agreement between the countries; setting up
a Joint Task Force for an impact study and to address
issues on both sides; holding ‘Made in Bangladesh’
shows in Indian cities and leading sectoral missions
from India. He also suggested organizing an India-
Bangladesh Technology Show in Dhaka.
58 | February 2010 Communiqué